Great Barrier Pigeongram:
VP 4 - "Pigeongram"

Great Barrier Pigeon Post

1898 - 1904

VP 4 - 'Pigeongram' Stamp

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VP 4 the Pigeon Gram

VP4 was actually the 7th Pigeongram stamp issued, the day after the first Marotiri overprint which was overprinted on the Blue green SPECIAL POST.  The design was pretty much the same as VP2 but with the words SPECIAL POST replaced by the words PIGEON GRAM.  The printing was done in more of a light blue colour and on poor quality paper with a buff colour (no watermark).  However the whole production process had to be repeated and so 6 carvings were used to prepare 6 moulds in wax in which copper electrolytes were made.

This time the printing plate was three across and two deep, and each plate was impressed twice on to the paper creating sheets of 12.

'The Collection'

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'The Collection' has multiple copies of this stamp, both mint, used and used on Flimsy.  This is natural as the number of produced stamps below indicates.

• VP 1 - 1800 (300 used and 1500 sold to collectors)

• VP 2 - 4,800 (less 960 for below issue)

• VP 3 - 960 of the above stamp of which only 160 were used. Most of the remaining 800 were damaged and discarded - some to collectors.

• VP 4 - 4,650

• VP 5 - 240

• VP 6 - 600

• VP 7 - 10,000

• VP 8 - 5,000

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21 August 1900 from Great Barrier to Auckland.  Flimsy sent to S. Howie asking for supplies "1 sack chaff & 1 bushel oats also 1 pair men's boots size 7 & oblige.  yours sincerely P. Warren (the agent in Fitzroy.